Officers from Bolton’s Response Policing team were on patrol in the area of the Tonge Moor Road Corridor at around 11pm on Tuesday, April 28, when they noticed a vehicle ‘in suspicious circumstances’.

As officers conducted checks, the vehicle began to make off and a short pursuit ensued before the vehicle stopped on Folds Road close to Bolton Town Centre.

Subsequent searches revealed a quantity of suspected illegal drugs and the driver of the vehicle was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs.

The vehicle was also seized and the male arrested remains on bail while the investigation is progressed.

It comes after another male was arrested on Stone Street last week after being found by officers from GMPs Specialist Operations unit in possession of a considerable amount of class A drugs.

Anyone with any information about drugs, or any other crime, is encouraged to contact police directly on 101, online or by using the reply button on this email.  Alternatively you can also report anonymously to Crimestoppers via 0800 555 111 or the Crimestoppers Website.

A spokesperson for Bolton North Neighbourhood Team said: “We are all aware of the damage that drugs do to our communities and you within the community regularly tell us that drug dealing and use is a key concern for you in the community. 

“Intelligence, essentially any information, is the lifeblood of modern policing and key to the fight against illegal drugs. 

“The intelligence picture is crucial to how we deploy or resources and efforts from informing where we patrol, to supporting applications to courts,  bids for further resources and helping us asses the effects of drugs on the community. 

“Please don’t underestimate the significance of any information you hold however small or insignificant it may appear – the piece you hold may be the final piece in the jigsaw.

“Please don’t assume we already know, or that someone else will tell us.”

From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery features compelling images from around the world published by The Associated Press in April.

The term “handpicked” suggests a bouquet that has been chosen carefully, each flower selected for its colour, form or meaning and relation to the others. The curators of this new exhibition at Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge have certainly achieved a complex yet complementary arrangement.

This small but rich exhibition was picked and approved with the help of The Kettle’s Yard Community Panel – a collective of Cambridge locals working alongside the gallery to help design, plan and curate exhibitions and creative projects.

The works are arranged chronologically starting with Henri Rousseau and ending with contemporary works by Chris Ofili and Lubaina Himid.

Rousseau’s Bouquet of Flowers (1910) is an array of real and imagined blooms with almost jungle-like depth. Rather than travelling abroad for inspiration, Rousseau relied on the Jardin des Plantes in Paris for the “exotic” plants taken from French colonies for his paintings.

In contrast Himid offers the viewer a collection of blooms from peonies to palm leaves, arranged as a repeating pattern, redolent of east African Kanga cloth designs.

The reference to the cloth subtly recalls the colonial slave trade but also celebrates the richness and diversity brought by migration. The title, These Are for You – that phrase often used by visitors giving a bunch of flowers on arrival – can then be understood as a wry comment.

Juxtaposed with these complex global and historical themes are some more personal, intimate scenes. Vases of flowers are often depicted in interior domestic spaces. Relationships are shown or hinted at sometimes with an undercurrent of sorrow. Flowers, often harvested to give joy, to congratulate and decorate, once picked are doomed to wilt and decay.

Eric Ravilious’s Ironbridge Interior (1941) creates an atmosphere of calm, but also melancholy. The flowers and grasses in a jug are fresh from the hedgerow. On the wall of the sun-lit room is another painting loosely pinned of a different vase with more blousy but drooping blooms, which hints at the inevitable passing of time. This mise-en-abyme (picture within a picture), creates a hollow feeling of unease.

The painting is made more poignant in the knowledge that Ravilious, a war artist at the time, died a year later in an air crash. Nearby hangs a small painting by Tirzah Garwood, Ravilious’s wife. Springtime of Flight completed only nine years later, shortly before her death from cancer, depicts an intricately painted biplane flying above a floral landscape.

It movingly shows her love for Ravilious and her love of life when faced with her own mortality. It is an imaginary world that she perhaps took comfort and refuge in.

There are many more stories to be found and pieced together in this exhibition. Some, like Jennifer Packer’s bloody Chrysanthemums (2015) return to a political subtext. This is one of the many floral paintings which Packer describes as “vessels of personal grief”. They pay tribute to people who have lost their lives through police brutality.

Packer’s work connects with Himid’s concerns. Their paintings are accompanied by Cassi Namoda’s more joyous work – a celebration of her homeland Mozambique and the birth of her son, Arafah Gaza’s Arrival (2025).

Others like Gluck’s Convolvulus (1940) reveal the sensual sometimes erotic inferences of flowers. Although a common weed, Gluck associated these flowers with their former lover the florist Constance Spry. In Gluck’s painting convolvulus or bindweed is made ornate and beautiful, imbued with sexual tension of winding limbs and lust.

Of course, throughout the exhibition lies the changing landscape of artistic tastes and styles which mirror society and the times in which they were made. Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s precise almost architectural rendering of Fritillaria (1915), points to art nouveau as well as oncoming modernism. Whereas Rory McEwan’s enlarged minimally presented and closely observed Tulip (Helen Josephine) from 1975 blends minimal hyperrealism with botanical illustration.

At the other extreme hangs Howard Hodgkin’s small abstract Red Flowers (2011) painted with emotion-laden gestures in memory of his father.

Each artist has chosen their particular flowers to paint, exerting control over nature showing a particular fascination, atmosphere, idea that they want to impart though this choice. Every visitor can handpick and arrange their own narrative journey through this show, with the clear yet eclectic, aesthetic choices of the permanent collection as a subtle background influence.

Handpicked: Painting Flowers from 1900 to Today is at Kettle’s Yard until September 6 2026.

Defence counsel Michael Boyd described his client’s behaviour as “outrageous”

A burglar who jumped out of an 82-year-old man’s bin and knocked him to the ground before breaking into his east Belfast home has been jailed for 10 months.

Dylan Harding, 23, barricaded himself inside the pensioner’s house and lashed out at police officers called to the stand-off at Avoniel Road.

He was hiding out at the property while suffering from a drug-induced psychosis, a judge was told.

Harding, of Leven Drive in the city, admitted charges of burglary with intent to cause unlawful damage, common assault and assault on police.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard the victim’s neighbour alerted him that a man had run over the extension roof of his home on Avoniel Road at around midday on January 5 this year.

He checked outside and noticed a black wheelie bin in the rear yard had moved, but while trying to move it back into place he discovered it was extremely heavy.

When the man opened the lid he discovered Harding hiding inside it.

“The defendant then jumped out of the bin and pushed the elderly injured party to the ground, causing him to fall back and hit his head on the concrete,” a prosecution lawyer said.

The pensioner suffered a number of cuts and grazes to his head and hand in the attack.

Harding then entered the house, locked the back door and made his way to a utility bathroom area.

He used furniture as a barricade, including a cabinet damaged beyond repair in a bid to block the door.

Police called to the scene could not gain access to the bathroom and attempted to reason with Harding to let them in but he continued to deny access.

Officers forced entry and discovered that he had been using his feet to keep the door shut.

With debris strewn about the room, Harding continued to lash out and struck a constable several times on the shins.

Defence counsel Michael Boyd described his client’s behaviour as “outrageous”.

“It was clearly a drug-induced psychosis,” the barrister said.

“He thought individuals were trying to get him, which was the reason he was hiding in the bin and then barricaded himself in the property.”

Mr Biyd added that Harding is ashamed of his actions and wanted to apologise for the distress caused to the elderly victim he forced to the ground.

Citing her limited sentencing powers and giving credit for the guilty plea, District Judge Anne Marshall imposed a 10 month custodial term.

She told Harding: “This was a very serious incident and could well have ended up in the Crown Court.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Available for over a year

Today, the King and Queen head to New York for the second part of their state visit to the US.

We look at King Charles’ address to congress, what he said… and didn’t say, and if any of it is likely to have a lasting impact on US-UK relations.

Adam is joined in the studio our diplomatic correspondent James Landale, and by Daniela Relph, senior royal correspondent who’s in New York with the King and Queen.

Plus, business editor Simon Jack tells Adam why some big players in the world of finance are worried that another financial crash might be on the horizon.

They point to similarities between now and the lead up to 2008, which they say paired with the ongoing geopolitical turbulence and the AI bubble, could be a recipe for disaster.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you’re in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producer was Jem Westgate. The technical producers were Stephen Bailey and Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Preston Crown Court heard the evidence during the ongoing trial of Jamie Varley, 32, who is accused of sexual abuse and murder and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 37, who is accused of allowing the death of a child.

13-month-old Preston Davey died less than four months after being placed with the couple in Blackpool.

Neighbour Jasmine Nuttall provided a statement which was read to the court. 

Ms Nuttall alleges that after the child, who the couple named Elijah, moved in next door on Staining Road, Blackpool, she would hear “raised voices” between the couple and the child crying.

In her statement, she said: “Elijah would cry a lot and to me and my family it was an unusual amount of crying.

“I would often think to myself, ‘Why is the baby crying so much?’”

The court heard how on one occasion she allegedly thought she heard a raised voice say “stop it now” out of frustration, which she thought “a bit short”, jurors heard.

Ms Nuttall described the couple as “ordinary” and “friendly” and had no concerns about them.

Ms Nuttall told the court: “They seemed happy to have him.

“It seemed like a really happy little family.

“The news as to what has happened to Elijah has come as a complete shock to me.”

Her father, Michael Nuttall, also described hearing the child cry frequently.

Mr Nuttall said: “Preston cried a lot.

“In fact, I think a one-year-old shouldn’t cry as much as that.

“The crying was high-pitched and he did seem distressed.”

He said he did not raise his concerns with the couple as he did not want to be an “interfering neighbour.”

Preston Davey was born on June 16, 2022, and taken into care by Oldham Council, and placed with foster parents at five days old.

After an adoption assessment, he moved in with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley in April, 2023.

The prosecution alleges that Preston was repeatedly abused, both physically and sexually, and suffered a total of 40 traumatic injuries.

The jury also heard details of Preston’s first of three visits to Blackpool Victoria Hospital during the four months he lived with the defendants.

On May 25, Varley took him to A&E at around 11.10am.

Paediatric sister Zoe Hellowell told the court: “Jamie had hold of Preston, he was frantic and held him out to me and said, ‘He is not breathing!’”

She described Preston as unresponsive, floppy and breathing ineffectively.

Ms Hellowell also noted bruises on either side of Preston’s forehead. Nurse Holly Edwards referred this to hospital safeguarding which was passed on to Lancashire Police.

A medical report shown to the jury said Preston had “unexplained injuries, inconsistent with a version of events given.”

Dr Ghada Tahraoui in a statement said social services staff had been asked to attend the hospital but following discussion with a medic there did not appear to be any concerns, the court heard.

On July 27, the child was again brought to hospital by the defendants, this time unconscious and in cardiac arrest.

Medical staff were unable to revive him.

Varley allegedly told police that Preston had accidentally drowned in the bath.

However, this account was not supported by the post-mortem examination, which identified 40 separate injuries, the court heard.

Varley denies murder, manslaughter, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent photos or videos of a child, one of distributing an indecent photo of a child, to his co-accused, and one of making an indecent photo.

McGowan-Fazakerley denies allowing the death of a child, three counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child.The trial was adjourned until Friday morning.

The trial has been adjourned until Friday morning.

“Brace for more terror attacks,” warns the Sun, as the terror alert is raised to “severe”. The Guardian and the Daily Mirror lead with the prime minister’s visit to Golders Green, where two Jewish men were stabbed on Wednesday. The Guardian says Sir Keir’s vowed to act against protesters “venerating the murder of Jews”. The Mirror quotes him as saying “decent people should open their eyes to Jewish pain and fear.” In its editorial, the Daily Mail says that since entering No 10, Sir Keir has allowed antisemitism to fester, as he tiptoed around upsetting the Muslim vote in key constituencies.

Revelstoke Road children’s home in Sunderland was praised by Ofsted for its “homely atmosphere” and carers’ “exceptional understanding” of the children.

Operated by Together for Children (TfC), the home houses six children with social and emotional needs and is one of nine homes run by TfC, which works in partnership with Sunderland City Council.

Simon Marshall, chief executive of TfC and director of children’s services at Sunderland City Council, said: “It is fantastic to see Revelstoke Road recognised as Outstanding.

“This is testament to the dedication and understanding of the carers, who have created a safe and nurturing environment where children can thrive.

“We are incredibly proud of this achievement and remain fully committed to providing the highest standard of care and this recognition of our carers is well-deserved.”

The outstanding grade was awarded during an inspection in March, with Ofsted noting the positive relationships between children and carers as key to the children’s progress.

The report stated: “Children are thriving in this home.

“They make excellent progress because of the close, positive relationships that they have with staff.

“Children talk about carers fondly and the home is filled with laughter.”

Inspectors highlighted the home’s efforts to help children engage in meaningful education, secure volunteering placements, part-time jobs and college opportunities.

Carers were commended for helping a young person build road safety awareness, enabling them to walk to school independently.

Support for health needs and life-story work was also recognised as important in helping children make sense of their personal histories.

Mark Christie, manager of Revelstoke Road, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the team and the young people who live here.

“We work hard to build reparative relationships with the children, within our therapeutic model and to make sure they are listened to, supported and valued, so it really means a lot to us to see the team’s effort reflected in this latest Ofsted report.”

The system will allow passengers to tap on at a gate or platform validator at the start of their journey and tap off at the end

Translink’s new tap-on/tap-off ticketing system will be rolled out to rail services between late 2027 and early 2028, the Infrastructure Minister has confirmed.

Minister Liz Kimmins was responding to a written question from DUP MLA Peter Martin, who asked her to detail the reason why ticket machines were chosen for the new Translink ticketing option at train stations and not contactless hop-on and hop-off payments.

When rolled out, the new system will operate similarly to London’s Oyster system, where passengers can tap their contactless card or device at the ticket barrier when getting on and off the train, with the best fare calculated for the passenger at the end of the day.

“As part of Translink’s Future Ticketing System project, the introduction of contactless ‘Tap On and Tap Off’ account-based ticketing is planned to commence across the rail network in late 2027 or early 2028,” Minister Kimmins said.

“This system will allow passengers to tap on at a gate or platform validator at the start of their journey and tap off at the end, with fares and any applicable discounts calculated automatically through back-office systems. Gate and platform validator devices have already been installed at rail stations across the network in preparation for this future contactless payment capability.

“Ticket vending machines were installed at rail stations as an interim and complementary measure to ensure that all customers can continue to access rail services prior to the introduction of contactless Tap On and Tap Off payments. Not all passengers are currently able, or may wish, to use contactless payment methods.

“This includes customers entitled to concessionary travel, such as Senior SmartPass holders, yLink card holders and Half Fare SmartPass holders, as well as those who prefer to purchase paper tickets.

“The provision of ticket vending machines, alongside gates and platform validators, enables customers to purchase or validate tickets prior to boarding services. This reduces reliance on on-train ticket sales, supports conductors in carrying out their duties, and helps to ensure that fare revenue is protected to the optimum level across the rail network.”

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